It’s no secret that we’re all about natural remedies around here. Every mom should have a few tricks up her sleeve for remedying minor ailments at home without resorting to harmful chemicals. Here are five natural remedies for a pesky problem that has ailed many of us from time to time … athlete’s foot.

Athlete’s foot is the skin condition most often associated with stinky, sweaty feet and gym locker rooms. However, it doesn’t just affect athletes.

How Does Athlete’s Foot Occur?

It may be surprising to learn that athlete’s foot isn’t just something that teenage boys catch. In fact, there is more to the root cause of athlete’s foot than infected showers or towels.

The body’s microbiome may actually have a lot to do with susceptibility to any infection, including athlete’s foot. Let’s first look at what really causes athlete’s foot.

What Leads to Athlete’s Foot

• Coming into contact with infected people or items, like towels, a shower floor, or a swimming pool
• Wearing tight, damp shoes
• Overall bodily microbiome imbalance
• Poor immune system function

So, while everyone knows that exposure to the fungus responsible for athlete’s foot (called tinea) promotes the spread of the infection, your own personal health may have a lot to do with how your body handles an exposure. When we have an overgrowth of harmful bacteria and fungi, we are more susceptible to infections of all kinds.

We have more bacterial cells than human cells, and it truly is all about the bacterial balance. I talk a lot about gut health and the importance of supporting the skin microbiome. The idea is that when your inner ecosystem is balanced, your whole body microbiome will be balanced, including the bacteria on and under the surface of your skin.

Symptoms of Athlete’s Foot

Athlete’s foot can actually mimic bad eczema or dermatitis, so it can be hard to differentiate between the two. Symptoms include:

• Thick, red, scaly, or cracking skin
• Itchy rash
• Symptoms concentrated between the toes, where fungus is more likely to grow
• Blisters
• Discolored toenails

An Ounce of Prevention…

The best remedy is often avoiding the problem in the first place. Here are some ways to reduce the chances of athletes foot:

Wear foot coverings in wet public places, when possible.

Dry feet well when getting out of water, whether at home or in public places.

Wash towels if you suspect infection or if they’ve been used in a public place.

Mind your microbiome by eating a healthy diet, supplementing probiotics, and avoiding good bacteria-killing products like antibacterial soaps. (Read about how to mind your gut and overall health here.)

Five Natural Remedies for Athlete’s Foot

In the unfortunate event of getting this dreaded fungal foot infection, there are some great natural remedies that may help get it under control:

1. Internal Probiotic Remedy

Gut health affects so many aspects of overall health! Ramp up probiotics, avoid sugar and excessively starchy foods, and focus on nourishing foods like broth and sauerkraut.

Those who frequently battle infections, whether athlete’s foot or the common cold, may have an underlying gut issue. Our immune systems are responsible for fighting off infections, and while the occasional cold or flu gives them the workout they need to stay strong, fungal infections are more a symptom of imbalance. When our guts are imbalanced, our immune systems become weakened, and we become susceptible to infections.

Candida is a type of fungal yeast and is often at the root of lots of health conditions like eczema, arthritis, and allergies. While it is a natural strain that is found in everyone’s guts, problems arise when it becomes overgrown due to lack of beneficial bacteria. Doing a diet like the GAPS diet can help to eliminate harmful fungi and bring the gut back into balance.

Likewise, tinea fungus (the fungus responsible for athlete’s foot) is normal to have on the skin. However if our skin bacteria is out of balance, then our skin is more susceptible to infections.

Not only is it necessary to bring the gut bacteria into balance, but it may also be beneficial to balance the bacteria (microbiome) on the skin. (To learn more about nurturing the skin’s microbiome, check out this podcast.)

2. Topical Probiotic Remedy

While oral probiotics are beneficial to your gut and overall health, in the event of an acute athlete’s foot infection, you may find topical application of probiotics helpful.

Let’s take the same idea as this recipe for my probiotic face mask and make it the base for a natural remedy for athlete’s foot.

Mix together:

• 1 TBSP plain organic yogurt (full fat preferred)
• 1 capsule of saccharomyces boulardii (a beneficial yeast that has been shown to battle pathogenic species of fungi)

(Increase or double the amounts if necessary.)

Use a cotton ball to spread the mixture onto the infected areas and allow to sit for about half an hour.

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